Two Jars, One Number: Fermented Cherry Tomatoes and 3% Hot Sauce Mash

**LINK TO PRINTABLE IS BELOW

September has a way of making the garden feel generous and slightly unreasonable at the same time.

The tomatoes are still coming. The peppers are piling up. There is more on the counter than we can eat fresh, and this is exactly when preservation stops feeling like a hobby and starts becoming part of the rhythm of the kitchen.

Today I am putting two very different ferments on the counter.

One jar is filled with whole cherry tomatoes, garlic and shallots tucked beneath a salt brine.

The other is a mash of peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic that will eventually become homemade fermented hot sauce.

They look completely different, but both recipes begin with the same calculation:

3 percent.

The difference is what goes on the scale.

A 3% Brine and a 3% Mash Are Not Calculated the Same Way

This is the part of fermentation that can make a recipe seem more complicated than it really is.

For the fermented cherry tomatoes, I am making a wet brine. The tomatoes stay whole, so I weigh the water and calculate the salt from that number.

Water weight × 0.03 = salt needed

If I have 480 grams of water:

480 × 0.03 = 14.4 grams of salt

For the hot sauce, the vegetables themselves are chopped into a mash and produce the liquid surrounding them. In that recipe, I weigh the prepared vegetables.

Prepared vegetable weight × 0.03 = salt needed

If my peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic weigh 1,500 grams:

1,500 × 0.03 = 45 grams of salt

Same calculation. Different thing on the scale.

This is not a rule that every vegetable ferment uses the same salt percentage. Different recipes and vegetables may call for different salt concentrations. What I want you to understand is the difference between the two methods we are using here.

Once that clicks, fermentation recipes become much easier to read.

Fermented Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic and Shallots

Cherry and grape tomatoes are wonderful candidates for a short refrigerator ferment because they stay whole and become tangy, garlicky and gently fizzy.

Start with firm, just-ripe tomatoes. Skip anything overripe, damaged, split or soft.

Each tomato gets one small prick with a clean toothpick or skewer before it goes into the jar. That tiny opening allows the brine to reach the inside of the tomato and gives pressure somewhere to escape as fermentation becomes active.

I put the garlic, sliced shallot and any herbs or peppercorns at the bottom of the jar, then gently pack the tomatoes over them.

No crushing.

Once the jar is filled, the 3% brine goes over everything.

A fermentation weight keeps every tomato, garlic clove and little bit of seasoning beneath the brine. Tomatoes are determined floaters, and keeping the food submerged is one of the most important parts of a successful ferment.

Then the airlock goes on and the jar heads to a cool spot away from direct sunlight.

The tomato ferment moves much faster than the pepper mash, so I begin checking it first.

The 3% Fermented Hot Sauce Mash

The second jar starts with peppers.

You can use one hot pepper variety or a mixture, and I like adding sweet peppers as well.

Sweet peppers bring fruitiness, flavor and body without simply adding more heat. I want hot sauce to taste like something, not merely hurt.

The peppers are joined by tomatoes, onion and fresh garlic.

Everything gets trimmed and roughly chopped first, then all of the prepared vegetables are weighed together.

That number determines the salt.

After the salt is added, I pulse the vegetables in the food processor until the mixture resembles a coarse salsa. I do not want a smooth puree yet. That happens after fermentation.

The mash is packed firmly into the jar a few spoonfuls at a time.

Pressing it down removes pockets of trapped air and encourages the vegetable juices to rise.

Leave plenty of headspace. Pepper mash can get enthusiastic once fermentation begins.

A fermentation weight goes over the mash to keep the solids beneath their liquid. If the mash has not produced quite enough liquid after several hours, a small amount of matching brine can be added just to cover the surface.

Then it gets an airlock and joins the tomatoes on the counter.

The Calendar Is a Guide, Not the Decision Maker

Fermentation is alive.

Temperature, ingredients, sugar content and the microorganisms naturally present on the vegetables all affect how quickly a ferment moves.

That is why I pay attention to the jar rather than relying entirely on a particular number of days.

During fermentation you may see bubbling, cloudy brine or sediment. Those can all occur as fermentation progresses.

What I do not ignore are genuine signs of spoilage.

A rotten or truly unpleasant odor, slime or fuzzy mold means I discard the batch. If I am unsure about a ferment, I do not taste it to find out.

I also verify that a vegetable ferment has acidified to pH 4.6 or below before considering it finished.

Once a ferment is where I want it, it goes into the refrigerator.

These are refrigerator ferments, not shelf-stable canned foods.

What Do You Do With Fermented Cherry Tomatoes?

This might be my favorite part of the entire project.

These little tomatoes are somewhere between a fresh tomato, a pickle and a condiment.

I use them anywhere a meal needs acidity, salt and that late-summer tomato flavor.

Try them:

• Over scrambled or fried eggs

• On a cheese or charcuterie board

• In green, pasta, grain or bean salads

• On sandwiches, wraps and burgers

• With grilled or roasted meats

• Folded into cream cheese or softened butter

• Tossed with warm pasta, olive oil and herbs

• Spooned over ricotta, cottage cheese or whipped feta

• On toasted sourdough with cheese and fresh basil

And do not throw away the brine.

That garlicky tomato brine is seasoning.

A teaspoon or two can wake up salad dressing, potato salad, beans, soup, mayonnaise, dips and marinades.

The printable includes an entire Ways to Use Fermented Cherry Tomatoes section because making preserved food only makes sense if we actually know what to do with it afterward.

And the Hot Sauce?

That jar needs more time.

Once the pepper mash has finished fermenting, we will come back to it together.

I will blend it smooth, adjust the consistency with some of its fermented liquid and, if I want more brightness, a little vinegar. It can stay thick and rustic or be strained into a thinner pourable sauce.

Then it gets bottled and refrigerated.

So this project is not finished today.

Today we are putting two jars on the counter.

Later, we get to see what they became.

Download the Free Two Jars, One Number Printable

I put the entire lesson together into one free printable so you do not have to take notes while watching the video.

Inside you will find:

Fermented Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic and ShallotsThe complete recipe, brine calculation chart, equipment, fermentation instructions, troubleshooting notes and batch-record page.

3% Fermented Hot Sauce MashThe mash calculation chart, ingredient and equipment lists, fermentation instructions, finishing directions and batch notes.

Ways to Use Fermented Cherry TomatoesMore than just a few serving suggestions, including breakfast, sandwiches, salads, cooked dishes, quick condiments and ways to use the brine.

**********[DOWNLOAD THE FREE TWO JARS, ONE NUMBER PRINTABLE]

Put it in your fermentation binder, write your batch information right on the pages, and bring it back out the next time the garden hands you more than you can eat.